September 2015

Building on the significant progress seen in America’s schools over the last six years, the U.S. Department of Education announced today that Texas has received continued flexibility from provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

The U.S. Department of Education announced today that the official three-year federal student loan cohort default rate has declined to 11.8 percent for students who entered repayment in FY 2012. That drop was across all sectors of higher educationpublic, private and for-profit institutions.

The Departments of Education and Treasury and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) are announcing a Joint Statement of Principles on Student Loan Servicing. This work by the Departments of Education and Treasury builds on the Obama Administration's ongoing efforts to help Americans manage their student loan debt.

The U.S. Department of Education announced today that 96 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) will receive more than $51 million in new awards to strengthen and expand educational opportunities for Hispanic and low-income students. The HSI program provides grants to make college more attainable for Hispanic students and allows institutions to enhance their academic offerings, program quality and institutional stability.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today recognized 335 schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2015 based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. These schools demonstrate that all students can achieve to high levels.

The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics announced today a series of commitments, a new report and a set of education data plans outlining the Obama Administration's work to improve the lives of the 55 million Hispanics who live in the United Stateswhether through increased access to high-quality early learning and STEM education, more grants to Hispanic-serving colleges, more opportunities to partici

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the University of Virginia (UVA) announced today that UVA has entered into a resolution agreement to ensure that the university’s handling of sexual violence and sexual harassment complies with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX).

The U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Justice (DOJ) today announced the completion of the English Learner (EL) Tool Kit to support states, districts and schools in meeting their legal obligations to ELs and ensuring access to quality education.

The U.S. Department of Education announced today the hiring of the first ever open education adviser to lead a national effort to expand schools’ access to high-quality, openly-licensed learning resources.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the names of four principals to be the Department’s Principal Ambassador Fellows for the 2015-2016 school year, in addition to nine teachers as 2015-2016 Teaching Ambassador Fellows. One principal will serve as a full-time Washington Fellow, while three will work part-time as Campus Principal Ambassadors in addition to their leadership in their districts.

Today, the nation begins its annual observation of Hispanic Heritage Month. Through Oct. 15, Americans will reflect on the many contributions Hispanics have made to enrich the tapestry of our country in a wide variety of areas.

Today marks the start of the iCount: Equity through Representation symposium, a convening of over 100 representatives from educational institutions and philanthropic and community organizations to bring attention to the need for data disaggregation to better represent and support the unique academic needs of a diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) student population in education.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the names of nine teachers selected to be Teaching Ambassador Fellows for the 2015-2016 school year. Three of the teachers will serve as full-time employees at the U.S. Department of Education’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., while six will remain in their classrooms and participate on a part-time basis.

As part of its Excellent Educators for All initiativedesigned to ensure that all students have equal access to a high-quality educationthe U.S. Department of Education today announced the approval of 16 states' plans to ensure equitable access to excellent educators: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Missouri, Minnesota, New York, Nevada, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

Building on the significant progress seen in America's schools over the last six years, the U.S. Department of Education announced today that Pennsylvania has received continued flexibility from provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

The U.S. Department of Education announced today two grant awards totaling $25 million to Twin Cities Public Television and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the development of television and multimedia programs that will engage preschool and young elementary school children and their families in science and literacy-themed learning.

U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary Ted Mitchell and Special Master Joseph Smith will hold a press call today with reporters at 11 a.m. EDT on the Department's first progress report on the borrowers' defense process from Special Master Joe Smith.